Re: A film-badge/potential exposure question

[rkathren@tricity.wsu.edu (Ron L. Kathren)]

Joel --

I doubt if heat produced by the EMP is the culprit; more to the point, what
was the voltage?  Capacitor discharges are well known to produce x-rays if
the voltages are sufficiently large.  But 200 kiloamps???  Would need to
know the temporal characteristics of the discharge pulse, or in other words,
the total charge involved.  Then One could calculate (assuming 4 pi and and
a number of other things) the approximate photon fluence and hence the dose
at the location of the film badge. 

Will be interested in hearing more.  

Ron Kathren

At 04:50 PM 11/25/97 -0600, Joel Baumbaugh wrote:
>
>        Radsafers,
>
>
>        I had a friend (from another state) email me this question:
>
>        Here's the problem:  A film badge was exposed to an accidental
>discharge of a capacitor that is known to discharge @ > 200,000 amps.  The
>film badge was located in an office about 100 feet from the capacitor
>shielded by two cement block walls in between.  The optical density of the
>film equated to a 75 RAD exposure.
>
>Was the effect on the film badge caused by ionizing events from the EMP when
>the capacitor discharged or a  change in the film emulsion density due to
>the heat associated with the EMP?
>
>        I have my own theory as to the answer, but would anyone else care to
>make an "educated" guess???
>
>
>        Joel
>
>
>..
>Joel T. Baumbaugh, MPH, MHP
>baumbaug@nosc.mil
>Radiation Safety Officer
>SSC San Diego, CA
>
>
>	NOTE:	The contents of this message have not been reviewed, nor approved by
>the Federal Government, the U.S. Navy, my bosses or my wife...
>
>